How to restructure degrees, majors, co-majors, minors, concentrations, or academic tracks

Requests to restructure a degree, major, co-major, minor, concentration or academic track will not require the submission of a Preliminary Proposal. However, discussion with the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, the Graduate Dean or the Deputy Provost is advised prior to completing the proposal (use Form OP-3).

A. The initiating unit should prepare a proposal which should provide a comprehensive description of the changes to the program and the effects on current students and programs.. It should include an analysis of the proposed changes (e.g. purpose, need and relationship to mission) as well as a careful and thorough discussion of the more practical and technical issues (e.g. resources, curriculum, admissions, faculty and transition planning). It should contain all of the information necessary to allow reviewers to meaningfully evaluate the program and should provide all of the following information.

1) A detailed description of the changes to the program, rationale, and educational objectives, including the following elements:
(a) Changes to admissions requirements, and projected changes in the availability of qualified students and demand.
(b) Rationale for and description of the proposed curriculum, including special characteristics of the program, type and level of instruction, new courses to be developed or syllabi of existing courses, sequencing of courses, concentrations or tracks, and other requirements such as comprehensive exams, theses, practica, non-standard grading scales, etc.
(c) Description of how courses will be scheduled to ensure that students will be able to complete the course of study within a reasonable time frame. Time limits for completion may vary but should be no longer than 8 years.
(d) A brief description of the scholarship upon which the proposed program is based.
(e) Qualifications of faculty to support the program, including CVs with examples of ongoing teaching and scholarship, research funding, etc. over the last five years. Describe availability of faculty and include profile of track, rank and any anticipated retirement or other turnover. If new hires will be required, provide necessary qualifications/profile.
(f) Describe any special tuition or fees to be charged. If graduate program, how will the students be supported?
(g) Projected enrollments, student credit hours, and degrees to be granted over each of the first five years, by campus or site.
(h) Describe employment opportunities for graduates of the program.
(g) Describe plans to preserve and promote diversity of both faculty and students.
(i) Aspirations of excellence for the program, and a discussion of how this would be achieved and measured. Include qualitative and quantitative measures, outcome goals and timelines as well as comparable and aspirational programs.
(j) Include campus(es) where the program will be offered.

2) The short- and long-term effects on other University programs, including increased or decreased demand for courses or services, loss or addition of students, student aid, Library, or computing resources, etc.

3) An analysis of the impact on space resources, including office, laboratory, and classroom space, must be included.

4) A detailed analysis of the impact of the proposed change(s) on staff and faculty personnel for the first three years of its operation, including information about the hiring of new staff and faculty and/or reassignments of existing personnel.

5) A five-year budget showing the marginal impact of the proposed change(s) on the budget of the units affected by the change, including:
(a) Net changes in tuition revenue and resulting instructional and non-instructional personnel and employee benefits per the enrollment based budget model.
(b) Indicate if any one-time or ongoing investments will be requested.
(c) A summary of financial increases, savings, or reallocations
(d) Non-financial requirements or savings in areas such as space, facilities, or equipment

6) A list of the faculty groups and relevant administrators who were consulted, summary of comments

7) Provide an implementation plan with detailed chronology. Include full description of impact on enrolled students, describing options for, requirements to transfer to the new program, time limits for completion and other procedures. Include draft copies of correspondence to be sent to students.

8) If this restructuring will also involve renaming or restructuring of departments, please provide a description of the changes involved. Also include a listing of all faculty, by seniority, in their current departments and in the proposed structure.

9) An executive summary of the proposal, not to exceed 2 pages.

B. If the dean of the school or college approves the proposal, 3 copies should be forwarded to one of the following:

1) If the proposal is for “change in academic programs and procedures affecting more than one college…” ‡ it shall be forwarded by the dean of the school or college to the Educational Programs and Policies Committee (EPPC) of the Faculty Senate and to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies.

2) If the proposal is for a graduate program, the dean will submit the proposal to Dean of the Graduate School for review by the Graduate Board.

3) If the proposal is for a professional program, the dean will submit the proposal to the Deputy Provost.

C. If the proposal is for “change in academic programs and procedures affecting more than one college…” ‡ it shall be forwarded by the dean of the school or college to the Educational Programs and Policies Committee (EPPC) of the Faculty Senate. If the proposal is for a graduate program, the dean will submit the proposal to Dean of the Graduate School for review by the Graduate Board. If the EPPC or the Graduate Board recommends approval, the Final Proposal will go to the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies (undergraduate programs), the Graduate Dean (graduate programs) or the Deputy Provost (professional programs) for review.

D. Representatives from the Provost’s Office will carefully review the plans and consult with other university offices as appropriate. These offices may include, but are not restricted to: the Libraries, Budget Office, Office of Planning and Policy Analysis, Office of Academic Records, Office of Space Planning, Student Financial Services (Financial Aid), Bursar’s Office, Administrative Computing and Academic Computing.

Once all issues have been resolved, revised CLASSIFICATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM (CIP) codes will be assigned (by the Office of Planning and Policy Analysis) and the complete and final proposal will be forwarded to the Provost for review.

E. Upon approval by the Provost, the proposal will be transmitted to the President. The President may then recommend the proposal to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees.

F. If the Academic Affairs Committee recommends the new program, it will be presented to the full Board of Trustees at its next meeting. Advertisement and implementation may only begin after the proposal has been approved by the Board of Trustees. Board approval does not automatically provide any additional budget appropriation (either one-time or continuing), funds must still be requested during the budget construction process.